The present invention relates generally to a sign and particularly to an illuminated sign incorporating a pivoting mechanism whereby the sign may be read in more than one orientation.
Signs for storefronts and the like are well known throughout the art. For instance, signs for indicating whether a particular business is open, i.e., open signs, and the like are well known. Such signs have traditionally utilized neon for illumination of the sign. In such signs, a number of tubes are arranged to spell out the word or words desired such as, e.g., “OPEN”. Such tubes are filled with neon and an electrical charge is applied to the gas by way of a pair of opposed electrodes at either end of the tube to thereby illuminate the gas and the tube. Such signs, however, suffer from a number of disadvantages. Neon tubes tend to be very brittle and susceptible to accidental breakage. Further, neon tubing is relatively expensive and thus replacement of the tubes is undesirable and cost prohibitive. In addition, neon tubing is quite rigid in that it is not configurable into a number of different orientations as may sometimes be desirable.
As such, it has become known to provide signs that simulate the appearance of neon tubing by using a plurality of light emitting members such as, for example, light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) arranged along the length of a housing and directed to emit light at a waveguide to thereby illuminate the waveguide in a manner that simulates the appearance of neon. Such constructions are advantageous with respect to traditional neon signs in that the waveguides and housing may be produced from a relatively sturdy material such as a plastic and the individual LEDs may be easily replaced when they wear out. Further, as compared to traditional neon signs, the energy needs of these signs are quite small thereby reducing costs to the user. However, such signs still suffer from a number of disadvantages as they are not configurable as may be desired by the user. For instance, a particular storefront may necessitate a sign that orients the letters in a substantially vertical manner while another may necessitate a sign that orients the letters in a substantially horizontal manner. As such, the makers of such signs must produce two different signs to accommodate the needs of all the prospective end users which increases production costs and takes up appreciably more shelf space in retail locations where the signs may be sold, thus further increasing costs to the producer which typically are passed along to the purchaser.
Thus, it is desired to provide a sign that overcomes each of the foregoing disadvantages while maintaining the high quality illumination provided by the sign.